"So soon?" asked Toltiir. "Lay it on me."
"See, Sasuke's got all these girls after him," began Naruto.
"And you want obsessed fangirls after you?" asked Toltiir. "You've already got one. Well, more or less."
"I do?" asked Naruto.
"Hinata Hyuga," answered Toltiir.
"She won't even talk to me," pointed out Naruto.
"She's shy and has got some serious self-confidence issues," said Toltiir.
"Funny eyes too," said Naruto.
"The Byakugan, the special eyes of her clan," said Toltiir. "When she's using her jutsu, she can see through objects and can see things far off as though they were up close. Telescopic and X-ray vision, sort of, not that you understand the terms."
"You're sure about this?" asked Naruto.
"Oh yes, the Byakugan is actually fairly simple," said Toltiir, sketching out the chakra patterns and eye structure in flourescent colors in mid-air.
"No," said Naruto, sounding exasperated. "She's a fangirl?! Of me? Not Sasuke?"
"Oh yes," said Toltiir, waving it off. "She's been watching you for years. She admires you, finds inspiration in you. It isn't the idealized sort of vision that Sasuke's fangirls tend to take of Sasuke. She sees your mistakes and faults, and admires you for your work in overcoming them."
"I dunno," said Naruto. "She actually likes ME?"
Toltiir frowned. This part wasn't fun at all. Hmmm. Well, maybe this would be simple enough and get the point across so they could get on to more interesting things. "Behold!"
He was staked to the ground, feeling pain and foreign chakra radiating from the poles.
"Reinforcements?" said the man who'd apparently staked him to the ground.
"How cruel!" said the girl.
"Hinata? Get away quickly! You're no match!" said Naruto's mouth and voice. Causing Naruto to struggle briefly but it was like he was watching a scene play out in a movie.
Hinata had long hair? Was taller. Hey, he was older too?!
"I know," said Hinata, positioning herself between Naruto and his attacker. "I'm just being selfish."
"Eh?" asked Naruto. "What are you talking about? Why are you putting yourself in danger like this?!"
"I'm here because I want to be," said Hinata. "This time. I'm going to save you, Naruto-kun. I was always crying. Giving up before even trying. I made the wrong turn so many times. But you helped me find my way and take the correct path, Naruto-kun. I always chased after you. I wanted to catch up to you. I wanted to walk beside you all the time. I want to be by your side, always."
Naruto felt the shock travel through his future-body. She was saying...
"You changed me, Naruto," continued Hinata. "Your smile is what saved me. That's why I'm not afraid to die if it means I can protect you. Because I love you, Naruto-kun."
Naruto couldn't help but watch helplessly as Hinata was then methodically beaten over and over again. At one point Hinata literally crawled up to him to try and pull one of the rods out. At this range he could see the exhaustion, the shaking in her hands as she forced herself forward.
"I don't understand how someone weak like you continues to defy me," said the guy with the metal studs in him. "Why fight me knowing that you'll die?"
"I stand by what I say," said Hinata, a quaver in her voice as she managed to smile and meet his eyes. "Because that's my ninja way..."
Naruto watched her beaten again, and this time one of the metal poles was rammed directly through her body to keep her down.
"WHAT?!" asked Naruto.
"A potential future," said Toltiir. "Do you accept that she has feelings for you now?"
Naruto imitated a fish briefly, his mouth opening and closing and nothing coming out.
"Mind you, with her Byakugan and her martial arts style - the jyuuken, she can be quite formidable," said Toltiir. "It's just that you and your opponents, particularly that one that you face when you're sixteen - that she just can't keep up. Well, that and the two people she most frequently has to fight are extremely skilled at both whereas her innate talents are not nearly at their level."
"That was..." Naruto finally sat back, not even aware he'd dropped to the floor. "That was..."
Toltiir shrugged. "Actually, if she went up against a number of your own classmates with that level of intensity - she'd have kicked collective butt. If you'd noticed her earlier, given her encouragement when she needed it, pursued her strengths - who knows?"
Naruto's thought processes were still playing catch up. "I... I wish..."
Toltiir cocked his head to the side, listening.
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(Posted Sat, 10 Jul 2010 04:17)
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